Obsidio: Illuminae Files #3

Obsidio (The Illuminae Files) - Jay Kristoff, Amie Kaufman

It's rare that I look forward to a book with as much anticipation as I did this one, and even rarer still that my high expectations are met. I'm happy to report this final installment of the Illuminae Files did not disappoint, and was well worth the wait.

 

At this point you should know what to expect from this series. There's the same fun formatting and visual aspect as previous books, although with less art than Gemina. It's also full of the same snappy writing, high stakes, and page turning action you've come to expect. If Illuminae had a 2001 swirled with Walking Dead vibe, and Gemina took some cues from Alien and Die Hard, then this final installment goes full military sci-fi and channels some Starship Troopers (minus aliens) or Battlestar Galactica (minus robots). Kaufman and Kristoff do not shy away from looking at the hard truths about military occupations and war, and pull very few punches. In that way it's a more difficult book, emotionally, than the previous two, and that grounding did pull my enjoyment down just a little even though I really appreciate what they were doing.

 

My favorite part by far was getting to see the main characters of the previous two installments get to interact with one another and take the stage again. I'm really going to miss getting to spend time with these imaginary people. You also get to meet a few new characters, and get to fill in the gaps of what happened after the cast of Illuminae fled their besieged colony. All in all it's a fast and fun read despite the heavy subject matter. If you liked the previous two books this closing chapter should amuse you - it's a worthy send-off for a series that has become a real favorite.